Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 October 2019
241. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development further to budget 2020 the current and capital allocation in 2020 to the implementation of strategies (details supplied) in tabular form. [42457/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraBudget 2020 will see the overall level of funding for my Department increase from €291 million in 2019 to €308 million in 2020. This will facilitate the continued delivery of key programmes for rural Ireland and communities across the country; and provide an additional €17 million to support priority areas.
The existing programmes and schemes delivered by my Department are an important part of these policies and strategies. For example, there is an existing €2 million per annum for Social Enterprise supports and schemes such as the Community Services Programme and the Social Inclusion and Community Activiation Programme provide very significant funding for organisations within the community and voluntary sector, and indeed social enterprises.
While the breakdown of the €308 million Budget 2020 allocation will fall to be considered in the context of the Revised Estimates 2020 to be published in December by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform; I envisage using much of the additional funding to further support these strategies and policies.
For example, I envisage €1.5 million being used to further support the CSP and SICAP programmes. I also envisage €1.2 million being provided to support the implementation of measures in the "Strategy for Community and Voluntary Sector development in Ireland”. This will include enhanced supports for the structures which drive local engagement in decision making – the Public Participation Networks and the Local Community Development Committees.
I plan to use a further €300,000 to support delivery of the recently published “National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland" and the development of the new National Rural Development Policy. This current funding will enable a greater impact from the existing capital funding for the sector - and other supports such as those through CSP.
